Method and apparatus for efficient handling of product return transactions

• US 6,834,268 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2002
• Issued: 12/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: e2Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nintendo of America, Inc. (Nintendo Company Limited)
• Inventors: Junger, Peter Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Chilcot, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARLE, JENNIFER I
• Application Number:
  US10/207,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20020188531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 705/28, 705/14, 705/21, 705/22, 705/23, 705/24
• US Class Current: 705/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/06 by returnable containers , i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and apparatus for efficient handling of product returns to reduce associated costs. A computer system at a regional product return center scans a returned product for identifying information, accesses a manufacturer return approval computer system through the internet or the like, and then submits the identifying information to the manufacturer for return approval. The manufacturer computer system utilizes the identifying information to access an electronic registration database to determine whether the returned product satisfies applicable return criteria. If so, the product is approved for return to the manufacturer. The regional product return center preferably scans a plurality of returned products in a single session. In response to the product identifying information submitted by the regional product return center, the manufacturer provides a list of approved returns and unapproved returns, along with a return authorization number for the batch of approved returns. The regional product return center then assembles the approved product returns into a box, shipping pallet, or the like, applies a label indicating the return authorization label, and ships the batch to the manufacturer. Shipping costs can be saved by omitting rejected product returns from the shipment. The manufacturer can handle the approved product returns from the regional return center as a batch, thereby reducing costs.

Claims

1. An electronic system for obtaining remote pre-approval for returns of uniquely identified products from a first location to a second location, comprising:

an electronic database system containing information on the uniquely identified products and vendor return criteria for the products, said electronic database system being remotely located from the first location;

an information processing system located at the first location and operable to obtain a unique product identifier from a product sought to be returned, said information processing system being operable to transmit the unique product identifier to the electronic database system;

wherein the electronic database system is operable to determine whether the product qualifies for return based on the unique product identifier and the return criteria and to provide to the information processing system a return qualification indicator if the product qualifies for return.

2. An electronic system as defined in claim 1, wherein the information processing system enables a unique product identifier to be obtained for a plurality of products, and the electronic database system is operable to determine whether each of the plurality of products qualifies for return based on each unique product identifier and the return criteria, and to provide to the information processing system a return qualification indicator for each product if the product qualifies for return.

3. An electronic system as defined in claim 2, wherein the information processing system further includes a display which is operable to display the return qualification indicator for each product.

4. An electronic system as defined in claim 3, wherein the information processing system further enables a plurality of products for which unique product identifiers have been obtained to be grouped as a batch of products and to have the unique product identifiers for the batch transmitted to the electronic database system as a batch.

5. An electronic system as defined in claim 4, wherein the information processing system enables a plurality of batches of products to be defined, and further wherein the electronic database system processes each of the defined batches as a batch when determining whether the products in each batch qualifies for return.

6. An electronic system as defined in claim 5, wherein the information processing system enables status information on each of the plurality of batches of products to be viewed on the display.

7. An electronic system as defined in claim 1, wherein the electronic database system enables a return pre-authorization to be obtained which pre-authorizes a return of the product from the first location to the second location.

8. An electronic system as defined in claim 6, wherein the electronic system enables a return pre-authorization to be obtained for each of the plurality of batches of products which pre-authorizes a return of the qualified products from the first location to the second location.